New Jersey is home to some of the biggest and fastest roller coasters in the world. Jersey’s hockey team, the Devils, must have taken some inspiration from this and had a season that was nothing short of a roller coaster ride. On the day after the New York Rangers eliminated the Devils from the playoffs it’s now time to reflect on the season that could have been, but never was.
By Nate Schiller, WFUV Sports
Who would have thought the defending Eastern Conference Championships would find themselves without a playoff berth with less than 10 games left in the season?
It was a rebounding week for the Devils following a week where they had three overtime losses, and one regulation loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Devils responded this week by rattling off four straight wins, three of which came against Atlantic division rivals.
By Nate Schiller
Two weeks into this lockout-shortened 48-game season, only the Devils, the Chicago Blackhawks, and the San Jose Sharks have yet to lose a game in regulation. But for a team that is technically undefeated due to the NHL’s use of the one-point overtime loss, the Devils are looking beat up after losing their last three games following the 3rd period buzzer.
No other state was affected more by Hurricane Sandy than New Jersey. For almost two days in late October, the super storm destroyed and shredded apart the Jersey shore and left many residents without homes and power, and some communities were completely underwater. That is why the start to the 2012-2013 hockey season was desperately needed for all of New Jersey.
Hockey is back! Alex and I were joined by the voice of the NHL on NBC, and WFUV Member Mike Emrick just a few hours before he called the Penguins and Flyers in Philadelphia to talk about the shortened season.
Lockout. Just the very word can send shivers down a sports fans’ spine. The agonizing thought that an individual cannot watch their beloved team on a regular basis because millionaires are squabbling with millionaires over miniscule details is almost unbearable.
Mack and Jake caught up with WFUV Sports' own Hockey Expert, Michael Watts. The guys talked about the recent NHL off season moves, including the Rangers' recent acquisition of Rick Nash from the Blue Jackets.
Matt Loughlin, WFAN Devils Play by Play man, joined Mack Rosenberg and Mike Valdetara on One on One to talk about the Devils chances at coming back in the series vs the Kings, why the Devils have played poorly on the power play so far, and more.
Gary Bettman almost got his dream matchup. A Stanley Cup final between The Los Angeles Kings versus the New York Rangers would have had all the storylines to produce one of the highest rated finals in recent memory. Two of the biggest markets in the National Hockey League. One an Original Six team that finished first in its conference, poised to return to the Stanley Cup finals after an eighteen-year absence. The other an improbable 8-seed, the first to ever knock off the top three seeds in its respective conference. Kings v. Rangers had all the glamour and intrigue to battle the NBA playoffs for popularity, until Lou Lamoriello and Martin Brodeur struck again.
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